What are the options for non-powered propulsion assist devices?

Author: Sharon Jang | Reviewer: Jaimie Borisoff | Published: 15 May 2020 | Updated: ~

Casters help provide stability to a wheelchair, but become a limiting factor when a wheelchair user wishes to travel off a smooth even surface. There are some devices that connect to the front of the wheelchair via the foot plate and lift up the front caster wheels. This allows the wheelchair user to travel over uneven surfaces easier, such as dirt paths, sand, and gravel. An example of this kind of device is a FreeWheel.

Mechanical advantage

There are some devices that facilitate pushing by amplifying your efforts (a mechanical advantage) using gears or levers. Using a device with a mechanical advantage will allow you to go further with a given push. One example of a device that provides mechanical advantage is a lever-propelled wheelchair. There are some lever devices that can be connected to your wheel (others require replacement of the rear wheels) that allow the user to propel by pushing the lever forward. Using a lever has two purported benefits: 1) using a longer lever to propel a wheelchair requires less force, and 2) using a lever enables a more favorable movement pattern of the hands, wrists, and shoulder. Together these may reduce the risk of injury. An example of this device is the NuDrive.